Influencer ambassadors of British migration policy.
For three years, the British Home Office has been running advertisements on social media aimed at deterring potential asylum seekers.
But it is a new strategy that he plans to implement.
Minister James Cleverly has reportedly given approval to pay Albanian, Iraqi, Egyptian and Vietnamese influencers on social networks like TikTok.
The goal: to dissuade their community from crossing the Channel, reveal The Times and The Independent.
Turkish and Indian influencers would also be in the crosshairs.
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“Influencers will have to promote the new immigration laws, including the threat of deportation to Rwanda,”
specifies the plan consulted by the two British media.
Rappers, comedians or bloggers
The list of Albanian influencers, established with the private consultancy Multicultural Marketing Consultancy (MMC), includes
"a rapper, two comedians, lifestyle bloggers, television personalities and a travel blogger"
, according to the document.
Among these seven personalities, Albanian rapper Omg Dioh has more than 100,000 subscribers on TikTok and
“uses the platform to influence and educate young people to work hard and follow their passions”
.
Roxh Dibrani, 150,000 subscribers, was targeted because he has a
“strong northern Albanian accent, which could help him disseminate messages to young people located in our target regions”
, details the report.
Ben Washburn
“stimulates the desire to explore and love Albania more”
to his 128,000 subscribers.
@bengwashburn
Welcome to northern #albania: @James Leithart
original sound - Luke Jackson
5,800 euros per influencer
The Ministry of the Interior would devote a total budget of 30,000 pounds, or 35,000 euros, to the remuneration of Albanian influencers.
The maximum amount per person would be capped at 5,800 euros.
In total, 576,500 pounds sterling (around 676,000 euros) would have been budgeted to carry out the campaign in the five other countries.
These influencers are
“popular culture opinion leaders well placed to spread key messages on TikTok about the reasons for staying in their country, the risks of crossing and the applicable legislation if arriving in the UK”
. states the plan.
Although they will have to confirm their affiliation with the Ministry of the Interior, their content will not be stamped with the government.
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These Web personalities were selected for
“their ability to interest young men.”
By using influencers on TikTok, the ministry is also circumventing the government's ban on the use of the social network, which prevents it from advertising directly on the Chinese application.
“Use the same platforms as smugglers”
“Smugglers frequently use social media to spread lies and promote their criminal activities. It is essential that we use the same platforms to inform migrants of the dangers this represents
,” a spokesperson for the Interior Office told the
Times
.
Last December, the British and Rwandan governments signed a treaty aimed at reviving an agreement to deport migrants who arrived in the UK illegally to Rwanda.
UK Home Office
This is not the first time that the United Kingdom has relied on social networks in terms of migration policy.
Last August, The Independent revealed that the government had paid Meta at least 35,000 pounds to serve hundreds of adverts on Facebook and Instagram to people in northern France and Belgium between January 2021 and September 2022.
However, it is impossible to quantify the number of people who were exposed to it.
Estimates range from 1,000 people to more than a million.
Especially since these ads could not target specific users: if they sometimes reached asylum seekers, tourists or residents of Brussels, Calais or Dunkirk also saw them scrolling through their news feeds .